All of you men faced this
war together,
with bravery and determination
unlike the rest.
Your lives went through an
unfathomable test,
and all of your sacrifices became
a testament
to the cruelty of the enemy
at hand.
Thaci, you embodied a resilience
unlike any human shield
could withstand.
You held the torch and fought for
your people
with a fiercely loyal command.
The brutality and injustice of
your judgement
is something we will be baffled by,
day by day.
The fragments of our tears will never
fade away,
but we must find solace in
our hearts
and pray to God that all of you will
return to your homeland once again.
Theresa Gjonlekaj
New York
Theresa Gjonlekaj — Poet
Theresa Gjonlekaj is a New York–born poet who has been writing poetry since her college years. A graduate of Hunter College in New York City, she draws inspiration from the complexities of human emotion and the experiences that shape our lives.
A Marathon of the Mind is her first poetry collection, published by Onufri Publishing Company in Tirana, Albania. The collection will be showcased at the Tirana Book Fair on November 10.